In 2025, fire departments serving Valmeyer responded to 18 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Sep peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
66 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $284K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 13 | -18.8% | |
| 2023 | 8 | -38.5% | |
| 2024 | 11 | +37.5% | |
| 2025 | 18 | +63.6% |
For the 0 building fires Valmeyer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 18 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other | 3 | 16.7% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Structural area, other | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 5.6% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Valmeyer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 22.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 3 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 11.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Incendiary device | 1 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 5.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Valmeyer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,481 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,026 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 43.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 522 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 387 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 365 | 43.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 325 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 42.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Debris and open burning | 270 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 264 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 256 | 43.2 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Valmeyer. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.